Consequences
by Xbreaker-X
Summary: Zero requires the power of Cyber Elf X to defeat Omega, and he fails to finish off his true form, succumbing for a moment to Weil. How can he reverse his actions? Will he be able to resolve his mistakes? Are there any more unseen consequences for his actions..?


The emptiness calmed him.  
After facing numerous opponents, there was something about the silence that comforted him. The final corridor had always been his personal solace on foreign ground. Though there was something about the silence that was unsettling. Perhaps it was the strange juxtaposition of the loudness of alarms and destruction against the jarringly tranquil atmosphere in the path. A silence that wasn't really meant to be there.  
Nevertheless, it relaxed him. Ironic that something so out of place could bring such respite. He supposed it was because he identified with it; something so out of place, so empty, it didn't belong. However, he didn't have the luxury of waiting. People depended on him. Time was of the essence. He couldn't stop here.  
He sighed inwardly, knowing what he would have to face. Behind the door in some form he would have to confront the goliath of a Reploid, _Omega_, and the cynical _Lord Weil_. He almost grinned at the honorific, at his own sarcasm. Steeling himself, he stepped out of the corridor, into the room beyond.

It was much the same as the rest of the area; mild colors coated in a soft darkness. A large machine acted as its centerpiece. Naturally, he approached it and immediately Weil's voice echoed throughout the chamber. He cackled, the raspy nature of his voice evident also in his laugh. "Having fun playing the hero, Zero? Hmmm?"  
"You do understand, don't you, that I have no time for your petty games? So let's finish this once and for all, shall we?"  
_More laughing._ "How pitiful… Of course, a Reploid like you would never understand. The joy of ruling all that you see… Only a human could possibly understand!"  
"A… human?"  
"That's right! I'm a bona fide human. The creator of Reploids… A human being!" Zero said nothing, but Weil did not hesitate. "The desire for power. The joy of making everything work for you. You have no way of experiencing this without a human brain. It's the ultimate joy! No mere Reploid could ever understand!"  
"I bet most decent humans wouldn't understand, either. You look like just another Maverick to me. All I gotta do is dispose of you like any other Maverick." Weil's incessant laughter filled the room once again.  
"Good, good! An excellent speech, Zero! You must feel great right?!" On cue, the intimidating form of Omega warped into the room, its booming voice echoing the few words it can utter.  
"Oh, oh ho, Zeeerroo!" Weil, as always, cannot conceal his excitement.  
"You were a fun guy, Zero! I'd like to play some more, but it's time we parted. I have some more fun surprises left in store for you… Enjoy them to the last, Zero!" Despite being secretly relieved that Weil had stopped rambling, he immediately prepared himself for Omega's coming onslaught.  
_Against such a foe, my movements should be the key, _he thought_. _Omega attempted to steal and early blow, however Zero was prepared for it, dashing away from him. Unfazed, he drew his blade, as Zero fired from a distance with his Buster Shot. However, with the power of the Dark Elf flowing through him, Omega was barely touched. Dashing forward, Zero charged his Z-Saber, jumping and releasing his energy in front of the body's center. The giant barely parried with his own purple blade, but fell victim to the ensuing onslaught from the blond Reploid's Recoil Rods. He attempted to counterattacked, but his efforts were in vain, as Zero dodged effortlessly. Omega growled in anger, not content with this stalemate. He should be stronger! He needed more power… Dark Elf…  
The ground began to shake, and Zero dashed away instinctively. Omega's growling grew louder, and the ground moved intensely. Stabilizing himself, the Red Reploid dropped to his knees. Prepared to move at any moment. Suddenly, a bright light flashed out from Omega's core, and Zero shielded his eyes. He could hear the ground splitting around the howling beast, and when the light subsided, Zero gazed upon an even larger Reploid, the size of which was unmatched in any of his recent encounters. After a moment of silence, plasma flew around the room, taking different forms with every attack. Zero barely evaded the first assault, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before he would be struck down, at this rate, unless…  
Zero pushed his body harder, increasing his speed, but his armor cracked slowly. His afterimages grew further apart with every dash. Despite his new agility, he had only landed one charged Saber slash before being nicked by a plasma laser, his guards sustaining even more damage. Cursing silently, he increased his speed another level, fracturing the red metal that covered him at an alarming rate. He was now but a red blur, a flash of color, followed by a large green stroke. He only hoped that his body could last long enough to-  
Omega raised his oversized buster, reminiscent of the legendary X, and fired three large orbs of plasma. Knowing it would almost certainly be fatal, Zero used his last burst of speed to jump into the air, but he was one step behind, as he fell into a concentrated beam. He felt his strength draining away, and activated his sub-tank, the energy flowing back into him as quickly as it was being drained. The Reploid dropped to the side, but he couldn't anymore damage, as it were. He panted and rose slowly, his blond hair falling messily around his broken helmet. Gathering his remaining energy into his saber, he dashed forward, as it seemed the colossus before him needed to recharge from his previous maneuver, and was far too large to dodge in any case. Zero jumped and - with a shout - brought his saber down on the core of his adversary. As he landed, he failed to break his fall and dropped to the ground.  
Omega's great body shuddered, and once again the room was purged of its shadows, the ground collapsing beneath them. Like a ragdoll he fell to the depths of the crevasse…

On his knees, Zero sat, drained and incapable. _If only I had more power... Is this the end of me? Did I… win? _"What is this place..?" Memories from what seemed like forever ago came to his mind… Memories of a broken Reploid, hanging awkwardly from wires. "This is where I was sleeping…" Weil's terrible laughter reached his ears once again, but it seemed distant this time…  
"Excellent Zero! Your power is extraordinary, for a mere fake." That was his punch line, and like any good jester, he waited for the reaction.  
"Fake!?" At that moment, a white light fell from above onto the ground before him, and the devil himself stepped out from its warm rays. A shockwave exploded outwards from his body, and Zero was knocked back from its intensity, as well as the flying debris.  
"You, the legendary Reploid? You fool! Those resistance losers just decided to call the Reploid they found here 'Zero' for some reason… You may be Zero, in a way, but you are still a mere copy. You're no legendary hero at all. You're just a reproduction! You thought you were a hero all along, didn't you! Never suspecting that you were a mere copy. What a joke! Omega himself is the one and only, original Zero! You're just a copy of him!"  
"The original Zero… Why is he your slave, then?"  
"He's a bloodthirsty God of Destruction, all I did was upgrade him to draw out all his power! All right, Omega… Or should I say, Zero. Time to wake this pitiful fake from a century-long dream!"

"It's futile, _Zero._" He spat, mockingly.  
"Weil…" Zero began, "I don't recall ever calling myself a hero… I have always only fought for the people who I believe in. I won't hesitate… If an enemy appears in front of me, I will destroy it!" Despite this, Zero knew he wouldn't have a chance defeating his true body. At this point, his words meant nothing. _Damn it… I need more power… I can't lose here… Everyone believes in me… I won't…  
_Omega Zero slowly advanced… "I am the Messiah!"

It started as a soft throbbing. Then, as the energy intensified, the rocks around Zero began to shake. Omega drew nearer. Was his armor turning darker? _Closer…_ His pupils slowly changing to match his the fragments of his armor. _Closer…_ He was going crazy, and his mind raced faster than he had moments before. He felt he was losing control of his body…  
"Zero!" Everything ceased as abruptly as it had started, the shout breaking him from his trance. Where had it come from? Omega hadn't seemed to notice, and he loomed over Zero, examining his weakness, silently mocking. He delivered a swift kick to his side, and the once proud warrior slid, knocking against the place of his awakening. Omega was toying with him. Again he approached, deliberately slowly.  
"Zero!"  
"…X?" He must be hallucinating. X shouldn't have enough energy to come back from Cyberspace again. A warm light dropped from above, and the legendary Maverick Hunter X floated in front of Zero.  
"Zero... You can't do that…"  
"Do what?" Zero inquired, confused at the sudden developments. Ignoring him, X continued.  
"Listen, I don't have enough time left anymore, and it looks like soon, you won't either. Use my power Zero, so we can defeat Omega, like we did a century ago!"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Just… Don't resist." At this, X reverted to his Cyber Elf form. The light he emitted grew larger and larger, until it enveloped the Reploid. When the light receded, Zero was no longer broken. He was no longer unable. He didn't crave more power. Instead, he had been stained by the light of the Cyber Elf. His armor bore white streaks, and his hair now a bright platinum. The Z-Saber was now thinner, and slightly longer. Omega frowned and drew his own, purple saber. He was almost dead moments ago. He could have sworn that the replica's spirit had already been broken. Zero opened his eyes, and the two dashed towards each other.

They traded blow for blow, and Zero himself was startled by his new vigor. He could feel the energy flowing through him. _So this is the potential of Cyber Elves._ As the battle progressed, the scales tipped in his favour. Omega was confused, to say the least. They had been mirroring the other's movements, so how could he be losing? Surely he wasn't weaker than this counterfeit. Finally, both took a swift back-step and immediately followed with Split Heavens, however as Omega lost momentum, Zero continued rising. Omega was sure he saw wings of light, followed by feathers enveloping his adversary… Dropping to his knees, defeated, Omega cried out to the Dark Elf yet again. But Weil's curse was losing its grip on the Mother Elf, and this time, Omega felt no vitality granted to him. Stricken with panic, the twisted lord realized he couldn't recall his God of Destruction. He needed more time. "Zero, don't do it! That's your original body! Don't you feel any attachment!? Are you really prepared to spend the rest of your life in that cheap fake!?"  
"I can do it. I know what's truly important." _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it! Just a little more! _Refusing to break his calm façade, Weil continued.  
"Oh, but do you? You know what it's like to be powerless. With your original body, you could be the most powerful Reploid on the planet!" Zero flinched, and Weil noted it. He had found it, the weakness of Zero the Legend. "Remember that feeling… Think back to when you lay on the ground. Omega was more powerful than you then. Recall that feeling…" Zero hesitated.  
_I can't listen to him… _"Remember!"  
_I won't listen! _"Think back…"  
_I… don't… _"Recall…"  
_Remember… Think back… Recall… Recall! #$%  
_Zero swore as he recognized Weil's cunning, but it was too late. He dashed forward in a pitiful attempt to destroy Omega Zero, but his saber connected with nothing but the air, and the chamber was filled with Weil's cackling, followed by a horrible silence. He wished he could close his eyes and turn back the clocks; back to when he could make a difference. He had failed to perform his final movement. The catharsis he sought could not be attained. He had marched to the rhythm of Weil's drums. He had succumbed to a petty trap, when it mattered most.

"Do I really… Desire power?"

-{o}-

Just an attempt to get back into writing… I feel kinda disappointed with this, but there's no point redoing a practice right? I may continue this, I may not. Additionally, the Zero described is pretty much Mythos Zero (I was considering calling him Mythos or Xero, but I disliked the feeling of both). Hopefully it wasn't too bad… . Please give me the (constructive) criticism I know I deserve. I feel pacing is off, and it's generally a bit jarring, right? Anyway… No point thinking too much about it right? If I continue, Ceil will be there and etc. so don't worry about that…


End file.
